SteamPunk as labor populism.

There are so very, very many SteamPersonas like Lady This or Captain That. Sure, it's just role play. Nowdays even highly educated computer engineers, business administrators, and professors seldom escape mistreatment on the job. They need those alt. identities in a friendlier virtual world. However, the implications should be considered. We blue collar working people are virtually invisible to the educated and/or economic elites. SteamPunk is the expression of alternative histories, but there is no compelling reason that we figure so little in these narratives. Other than the inability of authors, artists, role-players, SteamPunk groups, and the DIY costumers to imagine our presence. Let alone embody us. As I do in my SteamPersona as EngineRmRaphi. My experience includes actually working on antique steam engines and other marvelous old machinery. Which elicits a sense of accomplishment and provides great job satisfaction. Through writers like Eric Hoffer, Studs Terkel, Howard Zinn, and Joe Bageant, I have come to understand that history is not simply about the very powerful or wealthy or famous. We Boomers assumed the world would only get better. Young people no longer have that luxury. Working people are no longer personnel; they've become"human resources." Bodies to be used, like those of the dead oil rig workers or miners, to extract what's left of the planet's natural resources. Despite the obvious horror and pessimism, SteamPunk has emerged. There are of course elements of escapism into a time where humans were not mere adjuncts to technology. Where work had not totally been de-skilled; for example, those old engines I mentioned must be hand oiled. To care for them requires artisanship. Those engines are also an example of the sensibility of the era-- architecture, machinery, tools, book covers, posters... all beautifully done, with great attention to detail. Decidedly optimistic. SteamPunk is not about escape to some false past of peace, egalitarianism, and elegance. It is the idea, that by rewriting the past, we reclaim the future. It is the refusal to acquiesce to denigration and decay. It is the very human assertion of the archaic philosophical ideals of truth, love, and beauty. That is, of hope. It seeks to once again make technology humane, and to make sure that technology acknowleges its dependence on the natural world. So my point of view is not a criticism of the movement. Instead, it is a reminder that it needs to be inclusive, not the province of any elite, if it is to live up to its wonderful potential. I think I may be able to envision how this can be done. First as a trial run via writing in the SP universe, then as translated into practical ways of incarnation in consensus reality. More later.Raphi Alexandrian Jose, aka EngineRmRaphi7/17/2011